I worked in the Student Affairs division of a large, 4-year University for 7 years, and wanted to offer some advice for parents of first-time college students.
The Summer Orientations are a wonderful resource for parents, and not only for the printed information, presentations and resource fairs. The people WORKING behind the tables at the resource fairs and giving the presentations are the very same people who your college student will be coming into contact with on a regular basis! Get to know these people! Here's a few ideas how:
1. After the orientation presentation, there is usually time in between sessions for the presenter to prepare. Go up to the presenter, after their presentation, and introduce yourself. Think of a question from the presentation and ask them at that time.
2. Get to know the Student Affairs/Student Life personnel. These folks are wonderful, caring and very well educated on "college student development". Many of them received higher education degrees specifically in this field...working with college students and helping them with their college experience (everything outside of academics) is their passion!
3. Attend the luncheon or meet-and-greet with the Dean of Students or Student Affairs VP. Many students attend the "mandatory" sessions at Orientation (computer/technology set up, health insurance, class registration, etc.). Get to know these professionals who work in the non-academic realm; it is likely that if they are hosting a social-type gathering, they are very interested to talk with parents (and, you'll meet other parents this way as well).
4. Check out the University's website. Most schools have tips for new parents through the Health Services, Health Center, Student Affairs or Student Life divisions. There are parent handbooks often published by the University; a lot of care was probably taken to create helpful tips for parents!
5. Get to know University resources. Students are bombarded with information, and typically are more interested in knowing where their classes are located, who their professors are, what their dorm room looks like and getting to know their roommate. As a parent, you can do some research into what non-academic resources your student's University offers, and provide him/her with the information when asked. Some common non-academic resources include: recreational facilities, health center, counseling center, drug & alcohol center, volunteer agency, student organizations, etc. Please don't be scared off by the names of some of these offices; students don't need to be "in trouble" with their health, drugs, alcohol or "need counseling" to seek these resources. University counseling centers often provide seminars on test taking strategies or stress relief; some recreational facilities have massage and relaxation classes; health services can help students make healthy lifestyle choices; the drug & alcohol center is a great place to find information and volunteer.
In summary, I highly recommend checking out the University's non-academic resources via website and/or parent handbook, and attend the Orientation and participate in the meet-n-greet social activities.
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I worked in the Student Affairs division of a large, 4-year University for 7 years, and wanted to offer some advice for parents of first-time college students.
The Summer Orientations are a wonderful resource for parents, and not only for the printed information, presentations and resource fairs. The people WORKING behind the tables at the resource fairs and giving the presentations are the very same people who your college student will be coming into contact with on a regular basis! Get to know these people! Here's a few ideas how:
1. After the orientation presentation, there is usually time in between sessions for the presenter to prepare. Go up to the presenter, after their presentation, and introduce yourself. Think of a question from the presentation and ask them at that time.
2. Get to know the Student Affairs/Student Life personnel. These folks are wonderful, caring and very well educated on "college student development". Many of them received higher education degrees specifically in this field...working with college students and helping them with their college experience (everything outside of academics) is their passion!
3. Attend the luncheon or meet-and-greet with the Dean of Students or Student Affairs VP. Many students attend the "mandatory" sessions at Orientation (computer/technology set up, health insurance, class registration, etc.). Get to know these professionals who work in the non-academic realm; it is likely that if they are hosting a social-type gathering, they are very interested to talk with parents (and, you'll meet other parents this way as well).
4. Check out the University's website. Most schools have tips for new parents through the Health Services, Health Center, Student Affairs or Student Life divisions. There are parent handbooks often published by the University; a lot of care was probably taken to create helpful tips for parents!
5. Get to know University resources. Students are bombarded with information, and typically are more interested in knowing where their classes are located, who their professors are, what their dorm room looks like and getting to know their roommate. As a parent, you can do some research into what non-academic resources your student's University offers, and provide him/her with the information when asked. Some common non-academic resources include: recreational facilities, health center, counseling center, drug & alcohol center, volunteer agency, student organizations, etc. Please don't be scared off by the names of some of these offices; students don't need to be "in trouble" with their health, drugs, alcohol or "need counseling" to seek these resources. University counseling centers often provide seminars on test taking strategies or stress relief; some recreational facilities have massage and relaxation classes; health services can help students make healthy lifestyle choices; the drug & alcohol center is a great place to find information and volunteer.
In summary, I highly recommend checking out the University's non-academic resources via website and/or parent handbook, and attend the Orientation and participate in the meet-n-greet social activities.
Good luck!
April 24, 2008 - 2:57pmThis Comment
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